By Betheena Unite The repatriation of Filipinos aboard the MV Diamond Princess in Japan will finally take place on Tuesday, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed Monday. Health Assistant Secretary Maria Vergeire (Facebook) After being postponed, the repatriation of more than 400 overseas Filipinos held on the cruise ship due to the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the confined space will push through Tuesday, Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing. “We have already finalized our arrangements but as I’ve said, even in the previous dates, hindi po natin puwedeng i-divulge yung oras. Meron po, kinokompirma natin na bukas mangyayari ang repatriation (we cannot divulge the time. We are confirming that the repatriation will happen tomorrow),” the health official said. It was also disclosed that more than 400 Filipinos, who tested negative for the virus and are asymptomatic, will be repatriated. According to the department’s latest data, 59 of the 538 Filipinos from the cruise ship are confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19. Repatriation procedure Under the repatriation plan, DOH will screen and only allow the repatriation of Filipinos who are negative for COVID-19. Then they will be checked for signs and symptoms of respiratory illness, and only asymptomatic individuals will be allowed to disembark from the ship, take the bus to the airport, and board the aircraft back to the Philippines. While aboard the aircraft from Japan to Clark International Airport, regular monitoring will be done and individuals who will manifest signs of respiratory illness will be separated and isolated in one area of the aircraft. Upon landing and disembarkation, another screening will be conducted. Those who will manifest signs of respiratory illness during the flight will immediately be brought to an identified hospital for isolation and management while those who were asymptomatic throughout the flight will be directly transferred to the quarantine facility at New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac. During the 14-day quarantine procedure, 20 medical teams from DOH hospitals will manage the quarantine facility to provide appropriate health services. Patients will be checked twice a day and provided with food and basic provisions. “We will ensure that infection control and quarantine protocols will be strictly followed by our “kababayans” (countrymen) and the health workers that will man the quarantine facility. DOH and its partners will be working double hard to ensure the safety and welfare of the quarantined patients, as well as civilians in the vicinity,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a statement. Splitting repatriates denied Vergeire also said the recommendation of the local government of Capaz, Tarlac to split the numbers of repatriates from Japan and place them in a different quarantine facility in the country was not approved by the government’s inter-agency task force on emerging infectious diseases. “Sa pag-aaral at pagededesiyon ng ating inter-agency task force, hindi natin napagbigyan ‘yan because of public health reasons (After the inter-agency studied and decided on the matter, we did not approve the recommendation due to public health reasons),” Vergeire said. The assistant secretary emphasized that the task force opted to still use New Clark City as the quarantine facility for the repatriates in order prevent the risk of exposure of other individuals. “The transporting of the repatriates to the identified facility alone would be very tedious and the risk of transmitting, if ever there are infected individuals, will be big, so we are saying that this is a special case and we can’t say yes to the local government’s recommendation for now, because we want to contain the disease and make sure that the exposure of other people to our repatriates is very minimal,” Vergeire said. “If ever there would be this next repatriation, baka po doon i-consider natin, but for now it is not rational and it is for public health reasons, that’s why the task force decided to use one facility.” The agency also reminded the public that there is nothing to worry about as the “government is ensuring that strict control of the infection and quarantine protocols are being implemented.” “We are assuring everybody there is nothing to worry about. What we are doing --our protocols -- are based on science, based on evidences. We are also making sure that we are going to take care all of these repatriates until they end their quarantine period,” Vergeire added. South Korea travel ban Amid the growing numbers of COVID-19 confirmed cases in South Korea, the department said there is yet to be a decision from the task force whether or not a travel restriction will be imposed on the foreign country. The inter-agency task force will have to first study and discuss it, Vergeire said, noting that the task force has already come up with guidelines on imposing travel bans. “May (There is a) regular assessment for restrictions or lifting bans, there are criteria being used and with the recent updates (on South Korea) we will talk about it first,” the health official said. Currently, the task force is following a certain matrix before declaring travel restrictions. The volume of travelers, burden of infection, risk of exposure, and the stringent protocol of a country will be considered in enforcing a travel ban on a certain country due to the infectious disease. Repatriation logistics Meanwhile, Civil Aeronuatic Board (CAB) executive director Carmelo Arcilla said two Philippine Airlines chartered flights using an Airbus A330 wide body and an Airbus A321 are ready to pick up the repatriates. Both flights will come from Haneda Airport, Japan, and arrive at Clark International Airport. (with a report from Ariel Fernandez)